3 ms·

I'm on the opposite side of this question. I've offered to explain motorcycle charging systems in terms anyone can understand. My thought is to use the water fl

I'm on the opposite side of this question. I've offered to explain motorcycle charging systems in terms anyone can understand. My thought is to use the water flow analogy. Voltage => pressure. Current => flow volume. Resistance => constrictions in the system (or things where the water does work.) Flow at one point in the system must match flow in other parts except for places where water can accumulate (battery => pressure tank.) My biggest issue is how to depict this in a format that I can share over Skype without putting in 80 hours of work. I might go with a series of pencil drawings and scan them in. Are any of the suggested materials particularly suitable for this kind of presentation? This is intended to be a 20 minute or so presentation so I'm really just providing highlights. Points I want to get across include: - Resistance anywhere in the circuit will cause problems. (e.g. bad ground connection.) - Bad starting can be the result of a insufficient battery charge. - Bad starting can be the result of high battery internal resistance. - Bad starting can be the result of high resistance in the circuit. - Operating with loads (e.g auxiliary lights and heated vest) that draw slightly more power than the charging system delivers can work for hours until the battery is discharged and the charging system no longer supports the loads. (DAMHIK!) Thanks! edit:formatting

vulcan01 6y ago
YouTube videos might work, if you want to reach a larger audience. Or you could try streaming on Twitch (so that people can ask you questions as you explain stuff).
jschwartzi 6y ago
Bad starting can also be a result of physical resistance in the engine, especially as temperatures fall below the normal operating range. When engines get cold enough they put enormous load on the starter motor which has to draw more amperage to compensate. I think it's very important to teach people that moving electric charges, represented by current, result in magnetic forces, and that these magnetic forces are what cause motors to turn. And an alternator or generator reverses the relation by spinning a magnetic field to generate current, which is why it charges a battery.
- mtgp1000 6y ago
  >Bad starting can also be a result of physical resistance in the engine, especially as temperatures fall below the normal operating range. Is that true? Low temperatures directly affect the maximum output current of the battery, but I don't think engine tolerances are such that the engine starts to effectively seize up below freezing.
  - HankB99 6y ago
    Lubricants get thicker at lower temperatures.
- HankB99 6y ago
  Good points - I'll be sure to include.
dataduck 6y ago
I've got quite a lot of experience teaching electricity at a high school level, and I'm also a (relatively) newly qualified motorcyclist with a lot to learn. Maybe we could be of use to each other? If you'd like to get in touch, my email is in my HN profile. The pressure analogy is a really good one; the problem is a lot of people don't understand water pressure any better than they understand electricity.

vulcan01 6y ago

YouTube videos might work, if you want to reach a larger audience. Or you could try streaming on Twitch (so that people can ask you questions as you explain stuff).

jschwartzi 6y ago

Bad starting can also be a result of physical resistance in the engine, especially as temperatures fall below the normal operating range. When engines get cold enough they put enormous load on the starter motor which has to draw more amperage to compensate. I think it's very important to teach people that moving electric charges, represented by current, result in magnetic forces, and that these magnetic forces are what cause motors to turn. And an alternator or generator reverses the relation by spinning a magnetic field to generate current, which is why it charges a battery.

mtgp1000 6y ago
>Bad starting can also be a result of physical resistance in the engine, especially as temperatures fall below the normal operating range. Is that true? Low temperatures directly affect the maximum output current of the battery, but I don't think engine tolerances are such that the engine starts to effectively seize up below freezing.
- HankB99 6y ago
  Lubricants get thicker at lower temperatures.
HankB99 6y ago
Good points - I'll be sure to include.

dataduck 6y ago

I've got quite a lot of experience teaching electricity at a high school level, and I'm also a (relatively) newly qualified motorcyclist with a lot to learn. Maybe we could be of use to each other? If you'd like to get in touch, my email is in my HN profile. The pressure analogy is a really good one; the problem is a lot of people don't understand water pressure any better than they understand electricity.